Improvement in water-wheels



nied gratta WILLIAM J. THOMPSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

Leners Parmi No. 98,125, and December 21, v1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN' 'WATER-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Springfield, in the vcounty of Greene, and State of Missouri, have invented .a new and useful Improvement in \Vater\\f'heels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being hadV to thev accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. v

This invention relates to improvement-s in that class of l1orizontally-ruimingwheels which receives the water from above or below, upon curved buckets, taking the water at one side and discharging it at the other; and

It consists of an improved arrangement of vertically-oscillating gates, which, when open, form chutes for the water.

It also consists of improved means for working the gates.

Figure 1 represents a vertical section of'the said wheel, taken ou the line a: :z: of iig. 1, and

Figure 2 represents a plan view of the same.

A is the shell of the wheel, and B, the buckets, projecting radially'fromthe verticaliace ofthe shell, and in curved lines from the top of the said face to the bottom. In this example ,they are represented as receiving the water at the top and discharging it at the bottom.

O is the exterior fixed rim, and I) the curb, which prevents the water from passing down through the Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding t parts.

and the rim E of the shell D, so as to swing in vertical planes in opening and closing.

In closing, the upper end of each gate shuts down against thel next preceding it, so as to lap thereon for a considerable distance, from the lower end toward the' axial bolt, the curvatnres ot' each being pre-arranged to iit in this way.

'lhe upper ends of all the buckets are arranged between two pins, a, for each bucket projecting inwardly from a rim, I, Aresting on the top of the rim C of the case, and which is oscillated by toothed gearing, or other suitable devices for opening and closing the buckets by the action of the pins thereon, in sliding over the ends of the buckets These buckets are hung at the centre, so as to be balanced by the equal action ot' the water/ou both sides, when open.

These gates 'ta-ke the place of the fixed chutes commonly used, and save the expense of the same. Moreover, they are attached to the wheel `iu the construction of the same,and all completed in the shop, so that in setting the wheel up, the expense of arranging the gates and chutes is avoided.

The gates are so curved on the edges as to itsnugly the 'curvatures of the rims C and E, when closed.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with a wheel arranged to receive the water as described, of the gates G, pivoted between the rims O and E, and arranged for operation substantially as specified. l

2. The combination, with the gates G and rim O, ot'

the movable rim I and pins a', when arranged for openf ing and closing the said gates, substantially as specitied.

WM. J, THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

A. H. WILSON, Mormon INGRAHAM. 

